Tag: Republican Party

Back Talk returned with a new episode of Chopping It Up with Matt to discuss the latest in #RussiaGate plus the Presidential Records Act and why violations of it matter.

We are living in historical times, some of it good and some of it bad. The resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn a mere 25 days into this new administration is historical, in a bad way. Participation in the democratic process by average Americans is one of the lone bright spots.

The Russia connection with the current administration should be concerning to everyone but we live in times where partisan politics trump all else for far too many (okay sorry).That Russia interfered in our country’s 2016 presidential election no longer seems debatable and that certain high ranking officials in the White House were at least complicit.

The question remains as to the identity of those individuals and the extent to which they were involved, or did nothing to stop it.

Russia is a problem worldwide and the United States isn’t the only country where it is middling in national elections. Russian aggression in the Ukraine, and elsewhere, remains a problem too. Destabilization, along with the close ties between certain high ranking governmental officials, are ways to make certain this aggression gets lost in the crossfire.

Combine all this with violations of the Presidential Records Act and obstructionism from those in positions of power toward an investigation of Russian interference and you get an authoritarian cocktail that is deadly to democracy. You can listen to today’s podcast here.

Back Talk braves the fury of Hurricane Matthew to go live to Florida and not even sickness can stop us from bringing you hot Tennessee Titans versus Miami Dolphins talk with Lisa London (@leedoglaw) plus this week’s fantasy football fix and more. Then, we also discussed Donald Trump, male entitlement to women’s bodies, and this big thing called consent. It was real and it was spectacular.

Donald Trump sparked another controversy yesterday when a video surfaced with comments he made about women and sexual assault several years ago. This isn’t a shocker if you know who he is but it does highlight once again the dangers in voting this man into our nation’s highest office.

Sexual assault and rape aren’t particularly pleasant topics and historically have been swept under the rug and never discussed. Times as they say are a changing. More and more women are coming forward with their experiences regarding violation of their bodily integrity and failure of society to protect them and punish the offenders. These stories are hard to hear and/or read but its vital that we as a society pay attention.

In movies and popular culture, rape was historically viewed as a “stranger crime” with no discussion of the real and troubling truth that most women face these issues regularly from family members and acquaintances. How many women have had their mothers, aunts and grandmums follow them and watch them closely when they are around “that uncle, “that cousin”, or “that acquaintance?” I bet the number would shock you.

As troubling as those comments were, it might not have been the worst news to come out about Trump this past week. He also said he still wanted the Central Park 5 executed despite DNA evidence exonerating them from any crime. The Republican Party has a serious issue with science, or lack of understanding thereof, that must not and cannot be ignored.

In our sports segment, we welcomed Lisa London (@leedoglaw) back to the show to discuss the hot fantasy matchup that will be this week’s Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins turnover fest. We also discussed how fantasy wide receivers have been a huge disappointment this year plus the Odell Beckham Jr. situation. Finally, what fantasy football streamers should you look at this week? We have your answers.